S4 E20: For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils (What If?)
It seemed like just another day at Carousel Boutique, even considering that Rarity was working on a dress for a very important client, and Sweetie Belle was getting ready for a play she was putting on with her friends. Both sisters wanted their big plans to turn out just right.
Sweetie Belle couldn't help but grow worried as the time ticked by. Rarity had assured her they would leave with plenty of time, once Sweetie provided some last minute assistance for the dress. It was a white gown with yellow bands surrounding it, the bands having blue outlines and gems stitched into them not unlike the feathers on a peacock's tail.
The fashionista, as usual when working with orders like these, was wearing her ruby red sewing glasses.
At last, Sweetie could wait no longer. She desperately called out to her big sister. "Rarity, come on! I have to leave for dress rehearsal soon! I can't keep everypony waiting! Aren't we done yet?!"
Rarity frowned as she looked at her work more closely. "Hm, not quite," She remarked in a displeased tone of voice. "It's nearly there, but it's missing something. A certain... je ne sais quoi as it were," Then she proposed. "Perhaps it needs... appliqués."
Sweetie eagerly rushed away to grab them, returning in an instant with an entire hooffull! "Appliques! Got it!"
Still, Rarity wasn't satisfied. "Or maybe sequins." She suggested.
"Sequins!" Sweetie Belle insisted again and grabbed some, only to trip and fall due to carrying too much in her hooves.
The fashionista rose from her desk, immediately using her magic to pick up both the appliques and the sequins from her little sister. All the while she tried not to sound upset. "Listen, Sweetie Belle, it's nice that you want to help me out like this. I adore it, really. But..." She trailed off, unable to bring herself to finish the sentence.
The young unicorn sheepishly replied. "I guess I got a little bit carried away. I know you've been working hard to get these dresses finished for Sapphire Shores and her back-up dancers. It's all you've talked about for weeks."
The older unicorn nodded her head. "Indeed. Sapphire Shores is the pony of pop, after all. And her Equestria-wide tour launches in Canterlot next week! Which means that she must have these outfits by day after tomorrow at the latest! I can't afford anymore delays."
Sweetie then asked. "But there's still time, right?"
"Yes, barely," Rarity confessed as she trotted back to her desk. "But I work well under pressure. If I stay calm, I'll do just fine." And she began gluing the bands onto the back of the dress, turning her back to her little sister in order to be able to concentrate.
Yet it was than that Sweetie Belle massaged the back of her neck with a hoof and made a last minute request. "Then... maybe you could... actually, never mind. I don't need to make you do even more work. I'm sure they'll be just fine as it is."
But the fashionista picked up the faintest hint of concern in her little sister's voice and spun around. "What is it, Sweetie Belle? Is there something you wanna tell me?"
The younger unicorn reluctantly admitted with a sigh. "Well, if you want to, I guess you could maybe check the stitching and finish the buttons on the dresses I made for Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and myself. I know this is just for a school play, but I'd really like them to look good. And... I just don't have your touch when it comes to fashion." She blushed ever so faintly.
"Oh, is that all?" Rarity said with a laugh, adjusting her glasses. "How could I refuse, Sweetie Belle? When have I ever said no to you? Besides, you've been a big help," Smiling, she then asked. "I'll get right to work on those dresses after I put the finishing touches on this little number here. When do you need your dresses, if you don't mind me asking?"
Sweetie gulped and swallowed hard. "Tomorrow night, for the opening night of the play. This was kind of a last minute decision on my part. I thought I'd have time to fix them myself, but I don't think it's gonna happen."
The fashionista was taken aback by her little sister's statement. The scissors she'd been levitating fell out of her magical grasp, and landed on her desk with an audible thud. "Oh, Sweetie Belle, I wish you'd told me that sooner!" She scolded. "I'm already behind schedule as it is! Now you want to add more to my workload? Why couldn't you have brought this up sooner?"
The unicorn filly sighed. "I just forgot to ask," The way she delivered her statement made it sound almost as if there was more to it than that, especially with how guilty she was looking. "I understand if you can't fix them in time. 'The show must go on' as they say."
Yet Rarity couldn't bring herself to turn her little sister down. Putting a hoof to her chin, she contemplated. "I suppose... if I got a few more ponies to help me, then maybe I could..."
Sweetie Belle didn't wait for Rarity to finish her sentence! She instead hugged her big sister tightly and happily exclaimed! "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you! You're the best sister ever, Rarity!" Then she pointed a hoof to a rack of rather ugly and unappealing looking dresses. "They're right over there," She insisted. "Just make sure they're ready for the play tomorrow, okay?"
"I'll... see what I can do." Rarity reluctantly replied, realizing that the dresses for her little sister's play would be a very big undertaking. She was more right than she thought that Sweetie Belle had held off telling her about the dresses until now. Yet she couldn't have known that this "request" from her little sister was going to unknowingly cause problems for the both of them. And it would teach them both a lesson stemming from an unresolved issue in their past.
Dress rehearsal for the play the Cutie Mark Crusaders were putting on went off without a hitch, despite them not having the dresses they were intended to wear for it. Sweetie Belle assured everypony that they would be ready in time for opening night the next night, and that Rarity was working hard to make sure they were finished.
When the next night came, the three fillies were waiting backstage as ponies from all over town started flocking to the local playhouse. The seats were filling up fast, and the play was due to begin in a matter of minutes. However, the dresses hadn't arrived, they were still with Rarity. That was a problem.
Cheerilee came barging into the dressing room, nervously prancing back and forth. "My goodness, girls, it's time! And the audience is almost fully seated! Costumes!" She clapped her hooves, only then noticing that the costumes weren't there! "Hey, where are the costumes?! They were supposed to be here by now!"
Sweetie Belle nervously insisted. "They'll be here any minute, I swear! Just tell everypony to wait. We'll get the show started as soon as we can."
"Alright, alright! But if this show doesn't start in the next five minutes, things are gonna get ugly." Cheerilee warned, and trotted away to try to stall for time.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom exchanged worried glances as Scootaloo commented. "I can't believe Rarity still isn't here with the costumes. What could be taking her so long?"
Sweetie immediately protested. "She's been very busy lately! I told you that yesterday!"
Apple Bloom then questioned. "But how can she still not be here? She's known about this for weeks, right?" When she saw Sweetie Belle give off a suspicious glance, the farm filly pressed further. "Uh, you did tell her about the play weeks ago like you said you would, right?"
The unicorn filly's eyes darted all around, realizing she'd been exposed. She reluctantly confessed. "I kept meaning to ask her, I really did. But you don't understand! This play means a lot to me, more than it does for either of you girls. It was my idea to try this in the first place, I had to practically sweet talk you two into it. And I worked so hard on this play: I wrote it especially for the three of us! I directed it, I'm in it, I made the costumes... It's just that this is really my time to shine doing something completely myself, and I really wanted to keep it that way! I knew if Rarity found out she'd get carried away, insist on making the costumes perfect. And I'll bet that's why she's not here," She groaned. "She's probably making some last minute 'adjustments' that she doesn't need to make."
Apple Bloom then pointed. "So? I thought we wanted everythin' to be perfect. After all, all our friends came out to see it tonight. Heck, your parents are gonna be in the audience. You told us they were cuttin' their latest trip short so they could be back in Ponyville to see your big debut."
"Yeah, I know I'd want everything to be perfect if my folks were watching something important in my life!" Scootaloo insisted. "If we do it just right, we may even get our cutie marks for it. That's why you should've told Rarity sooner. If we go out there without costumes, the play's gonna be a disaster!"
A nervous looking Cheerilee then poked her head back into the dressing room. "The five minutes are up, girls. Costumes or no costumes, we have to go on!" She stomped a hoof down. "Places! Now!"
Yet it was just then that Rarity came panting it, a small clothes rack being towed along with her magic. She was nearly out of breath, but she managed to force out! "Oh, I'm here, I'm here!"
"You made it!" Sweetie commented with delight! But her joy soon turned to frustration and anger when she saw that the dresses had been almost completely redesigned. They looked bright, flashy, and elegant. "And I see you went ahead and made a ton of extra changes."
The fashionista willingly confessed. "I couldn't help myself. Your original designs were just not that good, Sweetie Belle. I couldn't let you and your friends go on stage in such horrible attire. You'd be the laughing stock of the town. It is for the first play you ever wrote, after all, so I made quite certain it came out just so. If you had asked sooner, this wouldn't have been a problem."
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo eagerly took the new costumes into their hooves, though Sweetie Belle was considerably more hesitant to do so.
Cheerilee didn't care, she just reiterated her earlier demand. "Places! Hello?" There was no more time to argue, the play had to begin.
The curtain soon rose on the play that the Cutie Mark Crusaders would put on. A spotlight shone down on the three fillies as all eyes fell upon them, and on the finely detailed costumes they were wearing. Apple Bloom was wearing a long, flowing red dress with yellow bands and patterns. She wore a matching hat that was tall and pointy. Scootaloo wore an oversized hat roughly in the shape of a heart and colored a bright blue. Her dress was also blue, with darker blue stripes throughout. And around her neck hung a pendant with a purple jewel in the center.
As for Sweetie Belle, she had on a large pink dress with a bright pink bow tied on in the back. There was a light pink collar, and bluish-white bands in the portion of the dress in the back that stretched down to her hooves.
The audience seemed to be impressed if the whispering of oohs and aahs was anything to go by.
Sweetie hoped that the dresses weren't commanding too much attention as she cleared her throat and spoke her lines with practiced precision. "Feareth not, fellow ponies. Forsooth, I do hereby cometh forthwith with glad tiddings for thou, miladies."
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom bowed in respect as Sweetie Belle approached them, herself bowing to them.
The whole play seemed to go off without a hitch. When it was over, the audience members rose to their hooves and gave a thunderous applause that seemed to echo everywhere! They kept on appluading even after the current had fallen across the stage, signaling the end.
The excited fillies trotted back to the dressing room to take off their costumes, and to take a moment to process all that had happened. "Wow! A standin' ovation!" Apple Bloom commented in amazement.
"I still have goosebumps!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"I just wish Rarity could've stayed to see it," Sweetie Belle remarked. "At least that would make up for her going overboard on the dresses. I appreciate her help, but she doesn't have to always make everything 'perfect'."
Apple Bloom then pointed out. "I think these costumes were great. They're better than anythin' we could've come up with on our own," Eager to change the subject, she proposed. "Regardless, I'll bet this is a dream come true for you, huh, Sweetie Belle?"
Scootaloo then chirped! "Can you imagine if this show is how you got your cutie mark?!" She then exclaimed! "Ooh! We should check our flanks right now!" The fillies promptly lifted up their dresses, only to find that their flanks were still blank.
Sweetie wasn't bothered for a moment. "Well, it was worth a shot. And we didn't do this just so we could hopefully get our cutie marks. Remember, we've learned not to obsess over them. We'll get them when we get them, and they'll be well worth the wait," Then she pushed all thoughts of cutie marks to the back of her mind, taking a deep breath as she told her fellow Crusaders. "Let's try not to get carried away, okay? We have to go back out there, and we know we've got ponies ready to shower us with praise. Try to be gracious."
"Modest." Scootaloo added.
"Classy." Apple Bloom chimed in, and then she followed Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle as they took off their costumes fully and headed for the door.
The reception area of the playhouse was indeed packed with ponies, Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles among them alongside many school aged ponies that the Crusaders knew from Cheerilee's class. Some turned to look when the door at the other end of the room swung open, but others went on talking as if they'd heard nothing.
Sweetie led her fellow fillies along, happily wearing a pair of sunglasses she'd happened to come across by chance. She felt it would compliment the look she wanted to give as a star of the show. She then loudly boasted for all to hear. "Here we are, the stars of the show!"
Apple Bloom added. "You may now tell us how much you loved it. Don't hold back."
And Scootaloo encouraged. "Line starts here."
Yet there seemed to be an awkward silence among the other ponies, almost as if they'd forgotten there had been a play in the first place.
Fortunately, Spike was present to give the Crusaders some much needed praise. He'd stayed for the whole thing, and if the look on his face was anything to go by, he had quite enjoyed it. "Wow, you guys! That was incredible! I think your sisters would have loved it if they'd been able to stay!"
Nervously, the farm filly asked. "Would have?"
The little dragon nodded quite slowly. "They specificially asked me to stay and watch for them. They wanted to stay themselves, but they all had to go help Rarity get Sapphire Shores' wardrobe ready to take to Canterlot in the morning."
"What? Even Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo blinked in surprise.
Spike nodded again. "Yeah, Rarity fell way behind. Having to basically redesign Sweetie Belle's dresses from scratch only made it worse."
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked down at the ground in disappointment and let out mutual groans of "Aw man."
Sweetie, meanwhile, muttered something to herself along the lines of how she "knew this would happen". It was already clear she was not pleased with all the changes Rarity had seen fit to make at the last minute.
Sensing the unhappy mood among the Crusaders, Spike looked to them with a smile. "Hey, cheer up! The show was great, really. And I'm sure everypony else here thinks the same," Then he offered. "Now wait right there, I'll go get you three some punch. We'll have a little toast to your success." And he strolled away to get the punch.
The unicorn filly glared for a moment, before she said aloud. "Well, at least I'm sure someponies cared about things other than the dresses," And she trotted over to her parents. "So, Mom and Dad, be honest. What did you like best about the play? The writing? The directing? The acting? Maybe all three?"
Yet a lemon yellow coated unicorn took the liberty of stating aloud. "Oh my, I- I loved the dresses." And many other ponies in the audience all nodded their heads in agreement, some more reluctantly than others.
"Really? Even you?!" Sweetie Belle glared at her parents.
Nervously, Hondo Flanks lifted up his straw hat to massage his mane. A bead of sweat started to trickle down his face. "W-well I... I... I liked some of those lines you said, Sweetie. Right, hon?" He asked as he not so secretly nudged his wife in the side with a hoof.
Cookie Crumbles was slow to get the signal, but when she did so she immediately insisted in a nervous tone of voice. "O-oh, yes. W-we both did."
"Which ones?" Sweetie insisted as she pressed both her parents on their answer.
Hondo and Cookie looked across to each other, as if hoping the other would bail them out. Neither one did so, however. And Hondo was eventually forced to confess. "I'm... sorry, I can't remember which ones they were off the back of my head. I wasn't really paying attention, but I do know you were a nice pink dress when you said 'em. You sounded really confident."
Cookie smiled, her earlier nervousness forgotten! "Ooh! I liked that one almost as much as the ones Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were wearing. Looked like they were lifted right out of a fairy tale. I tell ya, Rarity really outdid herself. Those outfits put the ones she made for her first play to shame," And she added. "I swear, I don't know where she got her fashion sense from."
The unicorn filly, meanwhile, growled and grunted! "Really?! Really?! The dresses were the only thing anypony noticed?! Not the sets, not the acting, not the writing or directing, nothing else?!" She hoped somepony would speak up and prove her wrong, but nopony did. It seemed like Spike was the only one who had at all acknowledged something about the play besides the dresses. And that frustrated her to no end! "This is just what I feared! Rarity stole the spotlight from me, again!" She angrily thought to herself!
Back at Carousel Boutique, Rarity's friends were helping her to put the finishing touches on all of the dresses she was take to Canterlot in the morning. Fluttershy was serving as the model for an elegant headpiece similar in color and design to the bands on the dress Rarity had been working on before.
Fluttershy held as still as she could as Rarity levitated the headpiece onto the pegasus pony's head. "All of this is one headpiece?" She asked the unicorn.
The fashionista nodded, before bringing forth her sewing needle to stitch a mostly invisible pattern into the piece's "eye". "Indeed. It's the crème de la crème of the entire wardrobe! But without this key hidden stitch, it's really just a..." She paused and put a hoof to her chin. "-Well, I'm trying to think of a nicer way to say 'big bummer'," Then she set her sewing needle back down and breathed a small sigh of relief, deciding not to dwell on that lack of a good word. "Now, perhaps we should all finally take a moment to relax!"
At that moment, a visible irritated and upset Sweetie Belle came storming into Rarity's bedroom (where the last work on the dresses for Sapphire Shores were being completed)! She even slammed the door behind her, drawing attention to herself in the process! "How could you do this to me, again?!" She immediately shouted at her big sister! "You just couldn't resist, could you?!"
Rarity's friends could immediately sense what was brewing, and none of them wanted to have anything to do with this awkward sibling squable that was about to unfold. "Um, I think maybe I'll go take that moment to relax now." Fluttershy spoke up.
"Right behind you!" Applejack eagerly declared, and Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all followed behind her without saying a word. Soon, they had followed Fluttershy in departing the bedroom, leaving the two unicorn sisters alone.
Now alone, Sweetie did not mince words as she locked eyes with Rarity and growled! "'Oh, what amazing dresses! Oh, how I love the dresses! Ooh, dresses, dresses, dresses, dresses!' That's all I heard!"
The fashionista was silent for a moment, then a smile broke out across her face as she thought she knew what the problem was. "Oh, so they did like them after all? Good," She then chuckled. "You really had me worried there for a moment, you silly filly."
But Sweetie Belle stomped a hoof down and turned her back to Rarity. "Aha! I knew it! You did this on purpose to steal my spotlight! Like it wasn't bad enough when you did it at my fifth birthday party."
The older unicorn blinked, surprised by the accusation. "What now?"
The unicorn filly swished her tail while keeping her back turned. "Don't act like you don't know, you know what happened. Or are you trying to be a better actress than me too?! What else are you trying to take away from me, you spotlight hog?!"
"I don't understand, Sweetie Belle," Rarity protested in an innocent tone of voice. "Whatever did I do wrong? I was only trying to help."
Sweetie spun around and pointed a hoof in accusation! "Admit you made the dresses too good on purpose!"
The young fashionista replied in confusion. "I thought they were supposed to be good."
"Yes, 'Good'. Not 'jaw-dropping amazing'!" Sweetie Belle coldly and bitterly replied. Then she stormed off in a huff. "This is exactly why I didn't want you helping me in the first place." And with that she departed Rarity's bedroom, slamming the door loudly behind her as she did so.
Sweetie Belle's bad mood did not fade once she had retreated to the comfort and security of her bedroom (in actuality the guest bedroom at Carousel Boutique, but it was the room she frequented whenever staying the night). She was pacing back and forth, grumbling and complaining to herself. "And to think I was nice to her all this week," She bitterly remarked, then started trying to imitate her big sister's voice in a very mocking and condescending way. 'Sweetie Belle, darling, get me some red ribbon, please.' 'No, that's not red, that's cherry!' 'No, that's not red, that's crimson!' For pete's sake, it's all red! What's the difference?!"
Rarity could hear Sweetie's audible complaints from the other side of the bedroom door, and so could their parents for that matter. Hondo and Cookie had brought Sweetie Belle back to Carousel Boutique after the play, and had watched as she'd stormed off to confront her big sister. Now, all three unicorns were greatly concerned. Sweetie's behavior had not changed in the hours since the play had ended.
"I should probably go talk to her," Rarity insisted as she prepared to touch the doorknob and open the door. "She has to calm down."
Yet before the fashionista could do so, she could hear her sister shouting and complaining further. "At least Sapphire Shores won't be all like 'Ooh, who fetched you that red ribbon? Because I don't care about anything else you made. All I care about is that amazing red ribbon!' It's so stupid!"
The fashionista hesitated and looked back to her parents. "On second thought, perhaps waiting would be best."
"Rarity, are you sure that's a good idea?" Cookie Crumbles asked in a concerned, motherly tone of voice. "Hondo and I heard about what happened the last time you two had a fight. We can take Sweetie Belle home, she doesn't have to stay here tonight. Maybe she'll cool down after a good night's sleep."
Rarity shook her head from side to side. "Perish the thought, Mother. You and Father already cut your vacation short so you could make it home for the play. I can't ask you to do even more for me. Besides, I already made arrangements for her while I'll be away in Canterlot. You two deserve the peace and quiet of home."
Hondo Flanks reluctantly relented. "Very well, Rarity. But if anything else happens, just call us and we'll take Sweetie Belle back until this all blows over. Celestia knows, we worry enough about her as it is with all those crazy things she and her friends get up to." And so it was settled, nopony outside Sweetie's room dared set hoof inside to try to talk to her or try to reason with her.
That night, Sweetie Belle tossed and turned in her bed. But she couldn't get to sleep no matter what she tried to do. It got so bad that she pounded her pillow and then buried her head into it. At last, admitting defeat, she threw off the bedsheets and sat up with a groan. "Now I can't even sleep! Happy now, big sis?" She grumbled, and went to get a drink of water.
Sweetie's bad mood did not fade even after she'd gotten her drink. Thoughts and feelings of revenge swirled around, dancing in her mind. "I wish there was a way I could talk back all the work I did!" She shouted loudly for all to hear. Then, by chance, she happened to overhear the sound of her big sister snoring away. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the door to Rarity's bedroom was still open just a crack. And all the dresses she had made were in boxes, ready to go to Canterlot in the morning.
The unicorn filly crept in as an evil smirk spread across her face. "Even better," She said to herself. She then approached the boxes until she found the one in which the headpiece rested. Seeing the faintly visible hidden stitch, she pulled on it and made it come undone. Then she closed up the box, leaving no evidence of what she'd done. "Sweet dreams, sis." She chuckled to herself, and went back to bed.
Sometime later, Sweetie Belle was woken from her sleep to the sound of cameras clicking and ponies chattering in muffled tones. She rose from her bed, groaning anew. "Now what?" But suddenly, she found she was no longer in her bed but instead sitting on a large, wooden stand. And just as suddenly, a stage appeared.
Onto said stage trotted out a well dressed earth pony stallion and mare. They approached a podium at the end of the stage, and the mare spoke loudly for all to hear. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The winner of the 'Best Writer, Director, Actor in an Awesome Play Put on by a Pony and Her Awesome Best Friends' is..."
After a moment of silence, the stallion declared. "Sweetie Belle!"
Sweetie shook hooves with ponies she didn't remember being there a moment ago. Then she strolled up to the stage to accept her award: A large, golden trophy depicting a pony standing on their hind legs.
Then, without warning, there was a clap of thunder and it began to rain. All the ponies in the crowd and even those on the stage took off, running to find whatever shelter they could.
Desperately, the unicorn filly shouted to the crowd! "No! Don't go! Come back!" But her pleas fell on deaf ears. The trophy melted in her hooves as if it were made of butter. Looking up by chance, she saw that the rain was coming from a large storm cloud that had the shape of her big sister's face.
The cloud was laughing and cackling with glee, clearly having delighted in what it had done.
Sweetie Belle shouted up at the cloud! "Why do you have to always rain on my parade?! Why can't you ever let me just have the spotlight to myself for once?!"
The cloud did not reply with words. Instead, the Rarity face lit up its horn and cast a bolt of lightning down towards the filly!
The bolt never hit its target. Instead, it bounced off a light blue bubble as a voice shouted above the tempest. "Enough!" Just as quickly as it had appeared, the storm cloud vanished. In its place, hovering in mid-air, was an alicorn with a dark blue coat and moderate cyan eyes. Her mane and tail were sapphire blue with grayish blue outlines, and they flowed just like Princess Celestia's mane and tail were known to do. Her cutie mark depicted a crescent moon and was surrounded by a black splotch on her flank, a similar marking appeared around her neck.
Sweetie recognized this alicorn in an instant! "Princess Luna! It's really you!" She happily gasped and ran towards the alicorn. Then a thought struck her. "Unless, this is all just a dream."
"What do you think, child?" Princess Luna questioned in a gentle but firm tone.
"Well, let's see: You just rescued me from a maniacal laughing Rarity-cloud," The unicorn filly pondered. That alone told her everything she needed to know. "Yeah, pretty sure I'm dreaming."
The night princess descended from above, landing on the stage that still remained part of the dream. She spoke in what sounded like a sympathetic tone, telling the child. "I understand what you're going through, Sweetie Belle. I too have a sister who often shines more brightly than me. And with this, I have struggled. That's why I'm here tonight. I'm here to help you." Then she took off into the sky as she unfolded her wings to either side of her.
Despite knowing that it was a dream, Sweetie Belle chased after the lunar alicorn as best as she could! "Wait, come back! Luna?" She called, only to receive no reply. Then there was worse to come as the stage she was on disappeared. She hovered in mid air for a second or two, then tumbled over and over again. Yet as suddenly as this falling sensation had come on, it ended just as abruptly.
The scene had now changed, Princess Luna was standing besides Sweetie Belle as the two were inside the interior of a house. Several colts and fillies, looking quite young, had all gathered inside the house for a special occasion.
Blinking her eyes, Sweetie realized what this "dream" actually was. A memory long since passed, but one she had never forgotten. "This is..." She gasped! "It was my fifth birthday party! I remember."
"Then you also know what happened?" The alicorn questioned.
Sweetie nodded as she raced up the stairs and passed through the door of one particular room. "Yes. I wanted to make a grand entrance. So I made myself look beautiful, just like my big sister." And a much younger version of herself could be seen standing next to a large mirror on a bedstand. She was wearing a long, flowing dress a lovely shade of blue. And was clumsily applying lipstick that turned her lips a shade of pink.
Cookie Crumbles was standing nearby, watching the whole scene as she couldn't help but giggle.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. From the other side, the familiar voice of Hondo Flanks called. "Aren't you done yet, Sweetie Belle? Everypony's waiting for you."
Without even looking to the door, Cookie called back. "She'll be down in a minute, dear. And so will I. Just go back to wrapping the presents," Then she looked at the younger Sweetie Belle, saying to her daughter. "Alright, Sweetie Belle. That's quite enough. Rarity will throw a fit if you use up all of her make-up."
The younger filly obeyed her mother's request. She jumped down from the stand she'd been on and clumsily trotted to the bedroom door. Her dress made walking difficult, she ended up tripping (which caused the lipstick to smear all over her face). Fortunately, her mom quickly helped her back up and led her away.
The older Sweetie watched, well aware of what was about to happen. "I headed downstairs, ready to enter like the belle of the ball," She unhappily sighed. "But when I got to the final steps, I saw the party was already going on without me. I kept posing at the top of the steps, waiting for somepony to notice me. But all I heard was-"
There was no need for Sweetie to say anything, the voices of the colts and fillies attending the party spoke for her. "These party favors are the coolest!" One cheered.
Another said to Rarity. "These are awesome! Where'd you get these? I've never seen party favors like this before."
Rarity, looking only slightly smaller than she did in the present, happily replied to the foals. "I made them myself. And of course, you'll all want cake, right?" She promptly held up a slice of cake on a dish.
The foals all cheered in delight as one shouted! "You're the greatest, Rarity!"
A glasses wearing filly then proclaimed loudly. "Who needs a birthday girl when you've got the birthday girl's amazing big sister?"
Those words cut right through the heart of the younger Sweetie Belle. She forgot all about trying to make anypony notice her. With tears in her eyes, she ran back up the stairs before anypony could stop her!
"Wait, Sweetie Belle!" Cookie Crumbles hollered as she chased after her youngest daughter, only to arrive in time for said daughter to slam the door to her bedroom shut. Try as she might, Cookie couldn't get the door to open. Even lighting up her horn was no good, she wasn't magically skilled enough to move the door knob. She kept pounding on the door, trying to get Sweetie to open it. But to no avail.
The present Sweetie had seen the whole thing play out. Looking across to Princess Luna, she sighed and lamented. "That's when I learned to never try to shine when my big sister was around. I was glad when she moved out and took over that boutique. It meant I didn't have to worry about her ever stealing my spotlight again. Until now, that is."
Princess Luna arched an eyebrow upward and frowned. "Is that so? Well, did you ever ask anypony else about that day? Perhaps you didn't have the whole story."
"What do you mean?" The unicorn filly blinked. "I thought you said you understood me, Luna."
Rather than reply with words, the night princess shut her eyes and stomped a hoof. The entire dreamscape changed: Now princess and filly were watching the same memory unfold, but from a different perspective. A frustrated Hondo Flanks had briefly emerged from the kitchen, covered in wrapping paper and bright colored bows. Rarity was standing in the living room, keeping watch over the foals as a birthday cake with unlit candles rested on a large table.
One of the foals looked at Rarity and Hondo and asked them. "Where's Sweetie Belle? What's taking her so long?"
"S-she's just getting ready for her big day," Hondo nervously insisted. "I'll... just make sure she's okay." And he raced upstairs to do just that, leaving his older daughter to manage the impatient crowd alone.
But almost as soon as Hondo had left the scene, a filly lying upon a large, purple couch yawned. "I'm tired of waiting. Why have a birthday party if the birthday girl's not gonna show up?" Then she looked to the other foals. "I say we get out of here before we all keel over from boredom. Who's with me?" Unsurprisingly, all the other foals agreed with her.
Desperately, Rarity threw herself at the door, blocking the foals' exit. "Wait! Don't go!" She nervously insisted, levitating over a large box. "You'll miss out on the... party favors." She set the box of party favors down, allowing the foals to grab as many as they wanted.
Soon, the exact same conversation that Luna and Sweetie Belle had witnessed earlier played out again. But this time, after the younger Sweetie from the memory had turned around and run back upstairs, the past Rarity was insisting. "Oh, no-no-no. All of these things were Sweetie Belle's idea. I just assisted with the execution. This is her birthday party, after all."
The present Sweetie was now racked with guilt as she realized what had really happened on that fateful day so long ago. "Rarity wasn't trying to steal the spotlight from me, she was trying to save my birthday party," Then she asked herself. "How did I never know until now?"
Princess Luna only shook her head from side to side in disapproval. "Once we allow jealousy and resentment to seep in, we allow it to color our point of view. Then it's not so easy to get rid of it. Even if you had asked your parents or Rarity, you would not have believed them if they'd told you," Then she turned to the child. "Come, there is another memory you must see tonight. Our time is short."
The memory of Sweetie Belle's fifth birthday party faded away completely, replaced by a large void filled with stars that stretched as far as the eye could see. Princess Luna trotted ahead with ease, and Sweetie followed as best she could.
Upon reaching the end of a star covered road, the unicorn filly felt herself be suspended in mid air again. It almost felt like she was floating, she even swore she saw dolphins swim past her. Then, she was at the night princess' side again as the two ponies were inside of Carousel Boutique. More specifically, inside of Rarity's workshop.
"Where are we now, Luna?" The unicorn filly questioned the moon princess, only to receive no reply.
Rarity was not aware of the presence of either her little sister or the princess of the night. She was instead contemplating some last minute changes to the dresses she'd made. "Let's see. Should I hem the cloaks now or wait until I'm there tomorrow?" She bit her lip. "I could hem them now, but I might have to redo them later. That would be a hassle."
Knowing that Rarity couldn't see or hear her, Sweetie inquired of Princess Luna. "When was this?"
Rarity prattled on, weighing her options. "But if I wait until I'm in Canterlot to hem them, Sapphire Shores might not get the best first impression. I don't want her to think badly of me. Why is this so difficult?"
Sweetie Belle blinked in realization! "Wait, this must be from earlier tonight!"
The fashionista, meanwhile, was trotting over to a mirror and eyeing herself as she lamented aloud. "Ooh... Sapphire Shores is such a big star and such a stickler for details. What if everything's not perfect enough for her? This could be the big break I've been waiting for. I don't wanna mess it up. Why do I do this to myself?"
The unicorn filly was surprised to hear her big sister sound so conflicted and unsure of herself. "It's funny. I know I stole her diary once, but I just thought she was exaggerating the way she always seems to do. But this is what she's really like? I thought I knew her. Guess I really don't know her the way I thought I did."
As for Rarity, the memory came to an end as she stubbornly and assertively told herself. "Buck up, Rarity! Stop this foolishness this instant! You've done your best and left nothing to chance. There's nothing left to do but to get a good's night rest." And she trotted off with the boxes in tow to do just that.
Now the dreamscape got dark, very dark. The source of illumination made the two ponies in look more images from a photo negative.
The guilt was welling up inside of the young unicorn as she hesitantly looked to the night princess. "Oh, I hope everything goes okay for her tomorrow."
"Hm, how curious you should say that after what you've done." Princess Luna ominously replied, looking rather displeased with her charge if the frown upon her face was any indication.
Sweetie Belle gulped, swallowing hard as she insisted. "I... I didn't know it was this important!" And she looked to the alicorn. "Please, tell me there's still time. That I can undo what I've done."
Just then, a door opened, casting a faint and ominous white light on the surroundings.
Princess Luna pointed a hoof to the door and ominously told the filly. "Go. Go see for yourself what the future holds if you should fail to reign in your worst insticts, like I once did." And the white light grew brighter, flooding everything in sight!
When the light faded, Sweetie Belle saw herself looking at a scene she'd hoped not to see! She was in Canterlot, and Rarity was about to present her sabotaged headpiece to Sapphire Shores.
"No! Don't!" Sweetie insisted and tried to rush forward to prevent the worst case scenario from happening. Yet she found that she couldn't move, it was as if her hooves were magically binded to the floor. Trying to move caused her hooves to turn sticky and gooey, like a melted marshmallow.
Meanwhile, an unaware Rarity had brought the box containing the headpiece to Sapphire Shores. With a smile, she proudly declared. "And here it is, Sapphire! The crème de la crème! The piéce de resistance..." Using her horn, she levitated it out of the box and onto Sapphire's head.
For a moment, everything seemed just fine. The back-up dancers oohed and aahed, impressed by the headpiece's remarkable design. But the moment soon passed, and the headpiece fell apart, much to everypony's shock!
Sapphire Shores looked down at what was left of the headpiece, and frowned as she watched Rarity try in vain to reassemble it. "Looks like I made a mistake here." She bitterly declared.
The frantic fashionista whimpered. "But, but this is impossible! I, I, I checked and rechecked everything! This couldn't have happened! I swear!"
"You sure about that, honey?" Sapphire remarked as she turned her back on Rarity. "Seems to me like you were hoping to impress me with something far below my high expectations. Well, I won't make that mistake again. And neither will anypony else."
"No! Please, you must give me another chance! I'm a good dress maker, I swear!" Rarity whimpered in fright, tears beginning to stream down her face.
"Listen to my sister! It's not her fault, it's mine!" Sweetie Belle tried to plead with the ponies inside of Sapphire's dance studio. But it was no use, nopony could see or hear her.
To make matters worse, Sapphire Shores and all her back-up dancers began to laugh and jeer at Rarity's misfortune. They seemed to think the whole thing was amusing, even hilarious.
Poor Rarity burst into tears, sobbing audibly! And Sweetie suddenly found herself running atop her big sister's mane. She then slipped off, flying straight into Rarity's mouth! She frantically grabbed onto the tongue, only to lose her grip and fall down further! "Okay, Luna! I get it!" She insisted as everything went dark. "Please! I don't wanna see anymore! I want to go home!" But her pleas were in vain, the nightmare continued to play out.
The scenes changed rapidly. Rarity had shut herself up inside her boutique, which was now overrun with dust and cobwebs. Not a single dress was being sold. "Always check and recheck." She said to herself.
The scene soon changed to show Sapphire Shores standing on a stage, above which was projected the image of Rarity's face. And with a smirk she told an audience that had assembled before her. "Who wants to hear a funny story about my ex-costume designer?" The crowd replied with cruel laughter.
The fashonista became more desperate as she was practically shouting while looking at her dresses! "Check, recheck, recheck, then recheck!"
Things kept playing out like a record stuck on repeat. Amidst the never ending horror, however, Sweetie Belle desperately hollered and screamed into the void! "Make it stop, Princess Luna! Can't you hear me?! I want it to stop! Please!"
But one more horrifying scene unfolded before the frightened filly. Fluttershy was gently knocking on the door to Carousel Boutique, asking politely. "Make me a dress, Rarity, please?"
Rarity only snapped back with bloodshot eyes and a messed up mane and tail. "Go away, Fluttershy! You know I don't do that anymore!" She slammed the door in Fluttershy's face, and began rocking back and forth inside her run down boutique, no longer even talking to herself.
Now Sweetie was frantic! The filly shouted at the top of her lungs! "Wake me up, Princess Luna! I'm begging you! Wake me up, wake me uuuup!"
The voice of Princess Luna faintly replied. "Very well. But you know what you must do."
Then it seemed that the unicorn filly's pleas were finally answered, as she woke up in her bed at Carousel Boutique with a start! Light was already pouring in through her bedroom window, and it took Sweetie a moment to catch her breath and realize where she was. Even if what she'd seen had all been just a horrible nightmare Princess Luna had subjected to, she knew that there was only one way to ensure it wouldn't ever come to pass. She had to undo her sabotage, if it wasn't already too late to do so.
Desperately, Sweetie Belle threw off her bedsheets and jumped out of bed with a start! She raced right into Rarity's bedroom, relieved to see the boxes were still there. "Oh, good, there's still time." She said to herself.
"Indeed, there is," Rarity declared as she came trotting into her bedroom. "Time enough to get you over to Sweet Apple Acres before I have to leave for Canterlot. It's not up for debate, I won't have time to watch you and complete my order for Sapphire Shores."
"What? But... but you can't go!" Sweetie insisted as she threw herself at one of the boxes. "You... you just can't!"
The fashionista was most surprised by her little sister's sudden clingy behavior, it was most odd. Still, she pryed the filly loose with her magic and patted her gently on the forehead. "Oh, I know you probably really want to see all of Canterlot. But we already agreed you would stay in Ponyville and spend the night with the Apples. I promse, if all goes well, I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning. Now come on, I don't have time to waste on your childish games, Sweetie Belle."
The unicorn filly could only watch in horror as she was pulled away from the boxes, including the headpiece that had yet to be fixed. Why was this happening?!
Rarity was as good as her word. She soon had ushered her little sister across town to Sweet Apple Acres, then leaving to return to her boutique and get everything ready for the trip to Canterlot.
A glum looking Sweetie Belle reluctantly trotted up the steps to the clubhouse where her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders were waiting for her. "Hey girls." She reluctantly greeted.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo immediately took notice of their friend's unhappy state, and dropped any plans they'd had that involved her. "Hey, what's with the long face?" Scootaloo was the first to ask the question. "Is something wrong?"
Sweetie sighed, hanging her head in shame. "It's kind of a long story." She tried to sum it up as best she could.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo listened carefully and intently. When it was finished, neither of them could speak.
The unicorn filly sighed again. "And that's my story. Now I have to figure out some way to stop Rarity from showing off that headpiece to Sapphire Shores. If I don't, it's going to end badly. I just know it! Oh, if only I still had more time! If only I hadn't pulled out that thread!"
Apple Bloom excitedly proclaimed! "It's too bad we can't go to Canterlot! I'd love to see Sapphire Shores, I'm such a huge fan of hers! I even know all her songs!"
"Me too!" Scootaloo happily nodded back. "Like 'Get Your Pony On'!"
"Ooh! That's one of my favorites!" The farm filly eagerly declared with a grin.
Sweetie just shook her head in disapproval. "Girls, this isn't about Sapphire Shores! It's about trying to save Rarity from a terrible future that I will cause."
"Serves her right!" Scootaloo said with a smile!
Sweetie Belle gasped and glared at her friend! "What?! How can you say that?! Rarity doesn't deserve that at all! It'll be my fault if anything happens to her!"
But the tomboyish pegasus replied. "No, 'Serves Her Right' is another of Sapphire's big hits."
And Apple Bloom questioned. "You seriously didn't know that?"
The unicorn filly looked up and willingly confessed. "I... kind of prefer show tunes, personally," That made her friends and fellow Crusaders gag and groan with annoyance. Then, suddenly, it dawned on her! "Wait! It just came to me! I know how I can fix this!" Her eyes lit up as she brought her two friends close. "And you're gonna help me. You'll distract Rarity long enough so that I can slip in, fix the headpiece, and put it back without her ever noticing I messed with it."
"Why not just tell her the truth?" Apple Bloom proposed.
"No! I have to fix this!" Sweetie firmly insisted. "What Rarity doesn't know won't hurt her," She then raced to the clubhouse door. "Come on! We have to hurry! Rarity's probably almost ready to leave for Canterlot! We have to stop her before it's too late!"
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rushed after their fellow filly, trying to keep up with her even as they wondered how they might keep Rarity distracted for a prolonged period of time.
As luck would have it, Rarity had just finished packing up the last of the boxes that contained all the dresses and related materials she had made for Sapphire Shores. She was now departing Carousel Boutique, ready to catch the train to Canterlot and meet with Sapphire face to face.
Sweetie Belle saw this from afar and skidded to a halt, waiting for her friends to catch up. When they did so, she whispered to them. "Okay, you two just keep Rarity distracted. And don't tell her about the headpiece. She can't know about it, or she'll get really mad with me."
"But... what are we supposed to say?" Scootaloo asked as she and Apple Bloom had to pause to catch their breath.
"Anything, as long as it keeps her from noticing what I'm doing," The unicorn filly insisted and pushed her two friends forward. "Go! Now! I'll be right behind you, I promise!"
Nervously, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom trotted forward, unsure of what to say or do as they still approached Rarity.
The fashionista blinked in surprise at the sight of two of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Apple Bloom? Scootaloo? Whatever is going on?" She questioned them. "I'm very busy right now, I don't have time to stop. I must be on my way."
"But... but... you can't leave yet!" Apple Bloom hastily protested. "Swe... er, Scootaloo and I were just wonderin'..." She looked across to the tomboyish pegasus and suddenly got an idea. "Can we go with you to see Sapphire Shores?! Please?! We promise we won't get in the way."
"Yeah!" Scootaloo eagerly nodded, while glancing over her shoulder from time to time in the most unusual way. "We're huge fans of Sapphire Shores! This could be our only chance to see her in pony."
"And why isn't Sweetie Belle interested in going with you?" Rarity pondered as she momentarily set the boxes down around her.
The farm filly groaned and rolled her eyes. "She told us she's not a fan of Sapphire Shores, at all. But no way are we gonna let that keep us from goin'."
"So can we go? Please?!" Scootaloo pleaded with the best pair of pleading, puppy dog eyes she could muster up. "We already talked with Apple Bloom's family and with my parents. They said it would be okay."
The fashionista sighed. "If it were any other occasion, I would probably say yes, girls. But I can't this time. My meeting with Sapphire Shores is extremely important. I can't risk anything distracting me. I won't have time to keep an eye on you two. And you know how much trouble you get up to as it is."
"No!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said in unison as they threw themselves at Rarity's hooves! "We won't cause any trouble! We swear!"
Rarity simply pushed the two fillies aside. "I'm afraid it's not up for argument. You're going to make me miss my train. I promise, when Sapphire launches her Equestria wide tour next month, I'll get you both tickets for when she comes to Ponyville. You can go see her then." She then promptly began picking up all the boxes she had set aside earlier, only to discover to her shock and surprise that one was missing!
Sweetie Belle had made her move in the brief amount of time her fellow fillies had bought her. Lacking her big sister's skill with a horn, she had grabbed the box with her hooves and pushed it back into the boutique as fast as she could.
Rarity was only made aware of the location of her missing box when she heard the front door of the boutique slam closed behind her! She gasped, spun around, and raced to it! But before she could open it, she found her way blocked by Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "What is the meaning of this, girls?!" She glared at them through narrowed eyebrows.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo maintained innocent expressions and smiles. They didn't know what they could or should say.
Meanwhile, Sweetie had frantically pushed the box across the ground floor of the boutique. And then, for good measure, she rushed to hastily try to lock the door so Rarity couldn't come barging in and catch her. "That was too close!" She thought to herself, breathing a small sigh of relief.
Then, much to the filly's surprise, she saw that there was somepony else inside the boutique with her. A pony that looked like Princess Luna, but much bigger and with a gleaming white coat. The unicorn filly recognized her at once as Princess Celestia. And she reached what she thought was a logical conclusion from the sun princess' presence. "Oh, good. This is all still just a dream."
But Princess Celestia shook her head to dispell such hopeful speculation. "No, this is all very much real, I'm afraid."
Sweetie Belle sighed, hanging her head in shame as she let it rest against the box containing the still sabotaged headpiece. "Then, why are you here? Come to tell me how wrong I am? Because I already know. I shouldn't have done what I did. I just wish none of this had ever happened in the first place."
Celestia smiled as she lifted the filly's head, looking her deep in the eyes. "We all make mistakes, Sweetie Belle. My sister told me everything, and she told me that you would need my help. She is not normally a morning pony, or she would've come herself," Lighting up her horn, she brought forth a sewing needle and a roll of thread. "Now, why don't we begin with this? Luna gave me an idea on how we can not only fix the headpiece, but make it even better."
A short time later, Rarity had pushed aside Scootaloo and Apple Bloom and was preparing to unlock the door to the boutique.
But there was no need, Sweetie Belle came trotting out with the box containing the headpiece, all the while looking rather guilty.
The fashionista unicorn tried her best not to sound too upset with her little sister, even as she demanded. "I would like to know what in the wide, wide world of Equestria this stunt of yours is all about, and I want to know now!" Locking eyes with her sister, she added. "Do you have any idea how important this job is to me?"
Sweetie confessed. "Actually, I do. I was upset with you because I thought you stole the spotlight from me at the play yesterday, so I pulled out the center stitch to the headpiece so it would fall apart when Sapphire put it on."
"You did what?!" Rarity gasped in disbelief! Even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were surprised that Sweetie Belle had confessed to her act of sabotage!
The unicorn filly then explained to her big sister. "But then I realized I didn't want your future to be ruined forever and ever, so I came back to change it before it was too late! So... here it is. It's all fixed. Please forgive me."
Rarity opened up the box, inspecting the headpiece very carefully. When she did so, something caught her eye that made her hesitate! "Wait a minute... what exactly is this supposed to be?"
Sweetie Belle flashed an innocent smile. "I know it looks strange, but trust me on this. Sapphire Shores is going to love it!"
"In that case," Rarity said with a smile. "We'd better hurry if we don't want to miss the train. Sapphire Shores doesn't like to be kept waiting."
"Can my friends come too? I promise they'll behave, and we'll go back to Ponyville as soon as this is over." Sweetie insisted.
"Only if you'll grant me the honor of letting me catch an encore performance of your little play," Rarity insisted in reply. "It's the first one you've ever put on by yourself, after all."
Sweetie shook her head from side to side. "If I'm being honest, the play wasn't that good. Your dresses were really the only good part of it."
"I'll be the judge of that!" The fashionista insisted as she wrapped a hoof around her little sister. "Now come on! The train will be leaving at any minute! We must hurry!"
Luckily for Rarity and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they were able to board the train and get Rarity's boxes safely stored for the trip with only a moment to spare. The train ride to Canterlot was one of excitement for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who were eagerly looking forward to a chance to get to meet with the legendary queen of pop herself: Sapphire Shores.
Upon arriving in Canterlot, Rarity went straight to Sapphire's dance studio, coming upon the earth pony mare when she was in the middle of a rehearsal. Fortunately, it was wrapped up very quickly as Sapphire instructed. "Rarity, come on up here and show me what you brought me! Sapphire wants to see it and to love it!"
"With pleasure!" The young fashionista insisted, and brought forth several boxes.
Eventually, there was only one object left to present: The headpiece that Sweetie Belle had "modified". Sapphire wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first. "My, it is attractive, but..."
Sweetie then insisted. "Look at the stitching, real close."
That's exactly what Sapphire Shores did. She trotted over to a mirror and gave the headpiece a careful inspection. When she did so, she noticed that something had been sketched nto the "eye" of the object. Namely, a dolphin. "Well, I'll be. It's a dolphin!" She eagerly exclaimed! "That's my lucky animal! They swim with me in my dreams," And to Rarity she then said. "Alright, you've convinced me. I'll take it, and the entire ensemble! My tour is going to be one for the history books, all thanks to you, Miss. Rarity."
Rarity smiled, happily hugging her little sister before asking her. "Wherever did you come up with the idea for a dolphin, Sweetie?"
The unicorn filly vaguely replied. "Well, it... came to me... in a dream," She delivered the last part of the sentence with a knowing wink. Then, to her sister, she apologized again. "I'm sorry I got jealous about those dresses, and brought up my fifth birthday party. I know now that you were only trying to help, like you always do."
The fashionista smiled. "Oh, Sweetie, I'm glad you understand. I've been trying for years to make you see that, but nothing I did worked," Then she pointed out. "But if you had just told me about what you did last night, there wouldn't have been a need for the dramatics. Next time you break something, tell me right away so I can fix it. Understood?"
"Yes, Rarity." Sweetie nodded, smiling back at her sister.
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
1,032 users online
1,772,714 hits today, 2,073,628 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
As usual, splendid job on the latest chapter. Again, the characterizations, exchanges, general wrap-up and future chapter set-up were pretty well done. And, yeah, the changes made to the third act (as mentioned in the author's notes) make more sense.
VERY much looking forward to the remaining four chapters.
Actually g5 is getting more make your mark episodes from what I've heard
Just saying
Since you are considering covering Gen 5 next year, will the Equestria Girls stuff (either the movies, specials, or shorts) get the rewrite treatment too?
I'd kinda be interested in how you'd end up fixing how Sunset's antagonistic actions were executed in the first movie and trying to improve how the human counterparts for Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy were handled (Since you have indicated you didn't like how they were written in the spin off and tend to see them as dragging it down with the stuff focusing on them making up the spin off's weakest material. Even Rainbow Rocks has those five being why you don't regard the movie as highly as others do, with Sunset being the one carrying it hard) in the movies and specials (or actually give human Fluttershy a chance to be a major lead as the only one of the seven to not be one in any movie or special).
I’m so glad you did “Flight To The Finish”. That’s the worst episode of the show imo, and it makes me sick whenever I think about it.